Tales From a True Hufflepuffian
by weaselbadger
Summary: What does two gingers and a butt load of drama have in common? This story! A lovely story about a simple girl that falls for a not so simple boy. G. WeasleyxOC.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi there. This is indeed...drum roll, please... the first chapter to my Georgie Fanfic!(Because I do adore him so). As always, reviews are welcomed, and verymuch appriciated. Enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: I sadly, do not own any of J.K Rowling's amazing characters. All rights are reserved to her and her fantastic mind.**

_Chapter One: _

"Rachel….Rachel Evelyn Perllet! What are you staring at?" A husky voice shouted to the ginger that stood next to him. Michael Flores rolled his eyes at his best friend as a flurry of red hair whipped to look at him.

"Sorry, Mikey. I was thinking about the O.W.L.S." She muttered in response, turning her body to the approaching Hufflepuff table. She gave a heavy sigh, even though it was only October, she couldn't help but fret over the oncoming exams that were to take place.

"Love, there's nothing to worry about. I got 5 on mine, and barely studied!" The sturdy quidditch player gave a brilliant smile, taking a seat on the bench chair. "And trust me, with you, you'll get 10 owls without even having to lift a finger."

Rachel smiled weakly, taking a seat across from him and watching as the other students filled in for the Halloween dinner. "I know, I know, but you know me..." She trailed off as two blondes stepped into the picture.

"Worrying about the O.W.L.S already?" One started.

"They're not until June y'know." The other finished, each of them taking a seat next to her. All she could do was shake her head, and look down at the food. They were right, of course, but she couldn't help but worry. It's in her nature, after all.

"Alright, alright. I'll hold off on the studying." She made a dive at the food that appeared in front of her. Taking a long swing of pumpkin juice, Michael turned his head slightly, observing the other students that had filled in the empty benches. His hazel eyes stopped on two gingers. One intently staring at their part of the Hufflepuff table.

"Oi, Rachel. George is staring at you again."

The maroon headed girl blushed lightly, then brushed it off, "Not possible, he absolutely hates me."

"What prey tell, did you do to him to make him detest you so much?" Suzie asked on her left, flipping a golden strand of hair behind her shoulder.

"Oh, story time! I do enjoy stories." Christina added, propping her elbows on the table and resting her head in her hands.

Rachel had opened her mouth to speak, but Michael had beaten her to it. "Well, you see, ladies, it was their third year. Rachel was cautiously walking down the hall, mind her own business, when all of the sudden dear George bumped into her and accidentally spilled one of his whatchya call'em…" He waved his hands, trying to think of the word.

"Stink bombs."

"Yes, thank you, Rachel. Stink bombs. Landed right on top of poor Rachel here, and we all know, she's not exactly the most level headed girl when she's angry." He turned to the girl who was now slightly pink.

"I turned him into a pixie. Got a weeks worth of detention with Snape for doing so. He's never liked me since." She squished her face together, looking down at her plate. "I'm not that hungry anymore, I think I'm going to go get a bit of reading done. Will sent me a book a couple days ago, and it looks interesting."

Michael's brows burrowed, watching as she stood up and left. He turned to the two blondes. "She does fancy him though." He muttered once she was out of earshot. "Just hasn't admitted it."

"Oh! I know what we're going to do this semester!" Suzie shouted, clapping her hands together.

"Oh here we go. Another one of her brilliant ideas." Christina rolled her eyes, taking a bite of mashed potatoes. She prepared for the impact.

Suzie frowned, sticking a tongue out at her twin. "Michael will help me."

"Help you with what?" He blinked, wondering what was ticking in that blonde head of hers.

"We get Weasley and Perllet together, of course!" She squealed, causing a few first years to turn and look at her funny.

Michael's smile widened completely, "That, is an amazing idea, my friend. Good one, Chap." He stood up, grabbing his coat. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to retire. Let's not let George or Rachel know what we're going to do, eh?" He winked before heading off to the common room.

Rachel had started reading the first couple of pages when the portrait hole swung open, causing the air to stir. She knew he would be soon to follow her. "What took you so long, mate? Get caught staring at Cedric again? Or was it Cho this time." She gave a playful grin as he sat in the amber armchair next to her.

"Oh haha, I do it once, and you continuously make fun of me. But no, when you sit there and ogle at Weasley, I can't even make fun of you once!" He rolled his eyes, looking down at the used copy of the _Daily Prophet_.

"I do not ogle, as you so generously put it."

"Do too."

"Do not."

"I resent that."

" Would both of you stop, you're giving me a headache. It's like I can't even manage to get any peace or quiet in here anymore." A simple baritone came from their left side. The brunette muttered something under his voice as he quickly turned back to his book.

"Sorry, Edward. Didn't see you there. What is that you're reading?" Rachel interjected, turning her body around to face him.

A hinge of a smile came to his face as he turned the cover to her.

"_Magical Creatures of Wooded Lands and Where to Find Them_. Fascinating! I never knew you liked that class!" She grinned, twisting her body back around. She would admit, she did have a slight crush on the quiet 6th year boy. He was the type that would rather read than snog, but it was soon overpowered by the heavy attraction to a certain ginger.

"I see you're reading another Transfigurations book, perhaps you can help me with my homework sometime, seeing as you are in our class." He nodded towards Michael who merely nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, please help us sometime, Evie, we're completely lost. Poor Edward here made a half sheep rubber ducky last week. Was awful. Cute, but awful." He gave a sympathetic look towards his year mate, unconsciously scratching the back of his head.

"Maybe some other time," She gave a yawn, closing her book. "For now, I'm tired and have a long day of classes in the morning. Night, Mikey, Edward."

"Night, love. I'll see you at breakfast then."


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter Two_:

The first couple of months had been hectic for everyone, even the Weasley twins were feeling the pressure to take O.W.L.S classes instead of regular.

"You know, Forge, maybe they're right. We wouldn't want to make mum more angry than she already is." Fred mentioned as the two sat at a desk in the Gryffindor common room, invention ideas laid out.

George groaned, leaning back in his chair, "Don't tell me they've gotten to you too, Gred. Clearly, they're just wanting us to be more stressed out so we'll prank less. Can't you see it?" He hopelessly argued with him, twirling his quill around his fingers.

Fred scoffed, rolling up his parcelment and stuffing it into his bag. "Right, like that'll happen. Come on then, we're going to be late for charms."

This caused his brother to groan even louder. Rolling his eyes, George grabbed his things and relentlessly followed his twin. "Why do we have to have charms with Hufflepuffs anyways?" He bit his bottom lip as he usually when _she _was brought up.

"Oh come on, you stare at herthe whole time, I don't know why you complain, mate. Honestly, I don't know why you two don't just settle your differences and snog already." This had earned him a large whack on the head from his twin as they entered the small hallway that lead to the classroom. Carelessly, the two laughed it off, and turned the corner, not paying attention to where they were going, or who they were running into. In a flurry of red hair and books, laid three disoriented people, one of which had landed directly on the other.

"Oh! Are you al- Oh…It's you." Rachel's voice had darkened as she managed to pick herself off of Fred and even threw in a kick to George's leg.

"What'd you do that for!" George retaliated, standing up and glaring down at the small red head. He towered over the tiny girl as he spoke.

"Well, maybe if you'd watch where you were going, I wouldn't have done it!" She shouted back, glaring up at him. She had taken a moment(only a moment!) to realize what stood before her. No wonder most of the girls fell for him, it was true that quidditch did wonders to ones body, and George Weasley was a perfect example. She frowned, grabbing her things. "Next time, watch where you're

going, or\ I'll turn you into a mouse this time."

George quenched his fists together, blowing a heavy sigh. He picked up his things, before realizing that he was going to spend the next hour and a half staring at the back of Rachel Perlett's head.

" Oh don't worry about me or anything, I'm perfectly fine!" Fred sarcastically stated as his twin walked off into the classroom muttering 'Lousy females' to himself.

The lesson had gone quite quickly, much to George's liking, and Fred's as well, (For George would mutter ever so often, 'Stupid girl' and 'I'll show you a mouse'). Rachel stood as the professor dismissed class, grabbed her bag and turned around only to face the two.

"Perllet." George stated, taking his cape and slinging it over his arm.

"Weasley."

"'Oh, hi Fred, how was your day?' That's what you would say if you were my friend, Rachel." Fred interjected, feeling the tension.

"Sorry, Hullo Fred, how are you today?"

"Well I do have this nasty bruise where I took a fall in the hall, but it's nothing too bad."

"Thank her, she's the one that ran into us." George muttered before walking out of the classroom and into the hall. He didn't make it far, for Michael had stopped his by the arm, asking if Rachel was still in there. He simply gave a small blush and a nod then continued walking.

"You know, Rachel, he does like you, it's just…well you turn-"

"I know, I know, Fred. I told him I was sorry, but he doesn't want to believe me. He'll get it soon enough and maybe we can be friends."

"Or more." Fred winked, leaving a stunned Rachel to stare after him.

Michael had poked his head through the door, seeing the incoherent Rachel. He rolled his eyes, walking over and waving a hand in front of her face.

"Hullo, earth to Perllet." He snapped his fingers, causing her to look over at him and blink.

"Sorry, uh, let's go to Transfigurations then, eh?" She quickly changed the subject, knowing he'd want to ask questions.

Michael wasn't buying it, "No, you're going to tell me why you look so stunned."

"Please, Michael, let's just go."

"Nope,"

"Yes."

Michael groaned as the 7th years started to fill in." Fine but you're going to tell me later."

"Perllet! Can I ask you something?" Came a similar voice from the doorway. Rachel looked up, seeing Oliver Wood standing there, smiling. She gave a cautious look to Michael, who simply shrugged, and waved.

"I'll go walk with Cedric, you two kids have fun." With that he flashed her a smile then left. Oliver had now reached to where she was. Rachel gulped, turning to look up at him. What would the Gryffindor quidditch captain want with her?

"I was wondering, if you weren't going with anyone else, maybe you'd like to go to Hogmeade with me next weekend. Me and a few friends are going to get some butterbeers, and I'd love for you to come along…As a date, you know?" The usually calm and collected Oliver Wood managed to stutter out as he fidgeted with his hands.

Rachel couldn't help but become speechless, only giving a nod before running off.

Later that evening, she had found herself in the library, thinking more than reading, as Michael gabbed on and on to his long time crush Cedric Diggory, when _he_ sat down in front of her. At first she didn't notice until he coughed unusually loud and caused half the library to turn in his direction.

Michael smiled to her side, standing up and dragging Cedric with him. "I'll see you later, Evie."

"What now, Weasley?" She shot, as soon as the pair had left. She couldn't help but let her eyes linger for a moment on his lips.

"The bubbling twins are forcing me to be nice. Says we could be great friends and all. So err, uh, I'm willing to forget if you are, I suppose." He rang his hands nervously, turning to look at her. His eyes seemed fill with true forgiveness.

She gave a small sigh, then a faint smile plastered onto her face. "I'm willing to give it a try." She nodded, standing up. "But no tricks played on me, got it?"

He stood up as well, nodding furiously. "Oh! How my new friend wounds me with such accusations!" He joked, holding out his arms for a hug. Surprised by this sudden jester she blinked a couple times, then eventually gave in and hugged him tightly around the waist. She breathed in his scent, committing it to her memory. It seemed that the hug lasted forever, but yet, seemed to end too soon as George pulled away.

"I'll see you later then?" He gave her a famous Weasley smile, memorizing the happiness that filled her eyes.

She gave a nod, "Of course!" And then he left, the smell was gone, she felt a little less excited, but to know they're friendship was only going to grow got her through the night.

She couldn't help but smile helplessly at herself as she strolled down the hall towards the common room. What a day it had been.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3:_

"So, which is it then?" Michael asked, turning to his companion for the breakfast.

Cedric flashed him a smile, scoffing lightly, "I dunno, Mike. It just seems a little too different to me."

Michael sighed, rubbing the back of his head as Suzie and Christina bounced over to the two of them.

"Where's Rachel?" One of them asked, looking for the only maroon headed girl in school. Michael rolled his eyes, pointing his tan fingers to the Gryffindor table.

"Where do you think? The two of them have been-" He was cut off by a lanky boy sitting next to him.

"Inseperatable." Fred finished, " I finally gave up and let the two love birds talk."

"Uh oh, George isn't expecting this to go any further right now…is he?"

"He'd like it too, can't tell you I fancy it too much, but I'll get over it. Why?"

The four Hufflepuffs exchanged looks, as the devils themselves decided to join the group, giggling as they walked.

"She's going on a date with Wood, y'know." Suzie answered, not realizing that George and Rachel we're standing behind her.

"What?" George blurted out, glaring at Rachel before storming out of the Great Hall. Rachel started to go after him, but was stopped by a firm hand on her forearm.

"Let me handle this, he is my brother." Fred gave a reassuring wink before walking after his brother. She took this moment to turn to the twin that had spoke.

"Why on earth would you say that! I was making such good progress!"

"Sorry- wait, what progress? Are you admitting you fancy George Weasley?" Suzie asked, a childish grin on her face.

"Wouldn't matter now if I did. Our friendship is over all because you can't keep your mouth shut!"

"Rachel! She didn't mean to! I think you need to calm down." Came the voice of reassurance. Michael stood up, looking his best friend. "Look, go lie down for a bit, I'll tell McGonagall you don't feel well."

Rachel pressed her lips together before nodding and heading back to the common room.

Michael turned to the others in the group, giving Suzie a small glare, "Great, it was going perfectly until you said that."

"Correction, it was going perfectly until Wood asked her out." Cedric budded in, taking a swing of butterbeer. Michael turned to him and rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, we need to fix this so they're on the right track again. Did you see how happy those two looked together?"

The twins nodded, standing up. "I'll go talk to her. I'm pretty good at this whole 'drama' thing." Christina made a note to use air quotes as she did so. Before anyone could refuse, she was gone in a blur of blonde hair.

Rachel had in fact not gone to the common room to lie down, nor was she. She had found herself in the one spot she felt most comfortable, the library. Sure, it was lonesome from time to time, but it's just what a person would need to think about things.

"Excuse me, is anyone sitting here?" A fairly tall girl asked her. She motioned for her to sit not even looking up from the book in her hands.

The girl began to pull out parcelments of homework and a quill. She glanced at the her, seeing something oddly framiliar. At that time, the girl gazed up at her from her work, giving a small smile when Rachel quickly turned back to her book. "I'm Alia, by the way." She greeted, staring intensely at her.

"Rachel," Was all she spoke, she didn't have time to chitchat, she had other things to worry about; Homework, classes, O.W.L.S, George…wait-why should she be worrying about George. She should have followed her own advice and just stuck to studying. Damn Michael and his persuading ways. She looked up at the girl once more. "You know, you look oddly familiar. You didn't grow up in Southern London did you?"

"No, I grew up in Sydney, We moved to England just before my 11th birthday, and well, Here I am." Her accent was more prominent as she went along in the sentence.

"Ah," Rachel turned back to her book, only to be interrupted once more.

"But I do have a brother that I've never met. They say he goes here, but I have no idea what his name is."

It had hit Rachel like a ton of bricks, of course she seemed familiar. But it couldn't be, could it? Seems like this called for an investigation.

"Do you know what year he's in?"

"6Th, I believe." Check.

"Is you're dad's name Tony?"

"How'd you know that?" Check.

"I might be able to help you find your brother, Alia. He's-" At that moment, Oliver had made it apparent to find her.

"Hey, Rachel, you want to come study for a while?" He asked gently, giving a small wave of acknowledgement to Alia.

"Uh, sure. I'll catch up with you later then, Alia." She muttered before being dragged off to Oliver's table.

The young Scottish man had pulled out her chair as she set her things down in front of her, giving a small smile. Rachel looked around, not able to concentrate about anything Oliver was blabbing about(Probably quidditch). Her mind couldn't help but run through the events of the past week. It seemed so much had happened. She had only been good friends with George for one week, but already she missed it. No, she missed him. She missed the way he smelled, the way he would laugh, and make her smile without even doing anything. God, what was wrong with her? She couldn't…No, she didn't like him. It was just a simple friendship. Then there was Alia, should she tell Michael about her? It all seemed so unreal to her.

"What do you think? Rachel?" Oliver had asked her from her left.

"Sorry, didn't catch that? You were saying."

" I asked if you wanted to go into Dervish and Banges while were at Hogmeade tomorrow." He replied, a bit irritated.

"Sure, sounds fun. Look, Oliver, I've got to get going. I'll see you tomorrow." She gave a small wave goodbye before rushing out of the library and towards the common room. But before she could reach it, a hand had grabbed her and pulled her down a hallway.

"Where on earth have you been?" Do you understand we've been worried sick about you?" The twins blared at her, shaking their fingers furiously.

"I was…in the library…Why have you been looking for me?"

"We were going to help. Or at least I was, but then Suzie came to tell me the news."

Christina started.

"George is going to Hogmeade tomorrow…with Jenna." Suzie finished.

Rachel's heart sunk as she mentioned her name. She shouldn't have been so sad, but she was, and couldn't help feel like a part of her had just broken off. "What…" She managed to shudder as she pulled her jacket close and began to walk away.

"Rachel, this is no way to handle this. Come on, now. Look, you're going with Oliver, clearly he's just doing this to make you jealous."

"Why should I care. It's not like he's my boyfriend or anything! I'm not snogging him, so why should I care?" She blurted out, scaring a couple first years as they passed by.

"You do care, though, don't you?"

She was now in tears as she managed to pull her sleeve and rub it against her face. "No, I do not care about George Weasley, or his date!" And at that she walked off, almost running towards the common room.

Suzie and Christina exchanged looks, "Michael is not going to like this too well."

"Not one bit."


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter Four_:

The night seemed to pass quickly for everyone except Rachel. She laid awake, thinking about what was to come. What was going to unfold, it was sure to be an eventful Saturday. She rolled over to her side , hugging the amber sheets to her chest. 'Almost morning' She thought to herself, tossing and turning in her covers.

"No.. I will not eat the pumpkin bread, Mr. Spider…" One of the twins muttered in her sleep, causing Rachel to giggle softly. She reached for her house robe as she stepped cautiously out of the heated bed and onto the cold floor. She shuffled past her sleeping year mates and headed towards the common room, only to realize she wasn't alone.

"Edward? What are you doing up, it's nearly five in the morning." She questioned the brunette that was clearly just as tired as she was.

He tilted his head slightly, looking up at her weary, "I could ask the same about you, Rachel. Couldn't sleep, then?"

"Not a wink. Same?"

"Yeah, I lose a lot of sleep now a days. Seems I keep thinking about things I shouldn't."

Rachel couldn't help but smile, at least she wasn't alone. "May I ask what it is you're thinking of that you shouldn't?"

"Someone that'll never notice." Was his simple reply. Rachel bit her lower lip, taking a seat on the loveseat in front of the fire.

"Well, you probably don't want my advice, but I would say, tell her or him," She gave him a small smile, noticing his glare, "And see what happens."

"I can't believe I just got advice from one of the worst romantic failures in school." He laughed, leaning back in the chair.

"You've heard then? About all the drama I'm going through? I'm about to call it quits and become a nun." She muttered, gazing intently at the fire.

"Don't give up, Rachel, it'll turn out alright, I promise. Or my name isn't Edward Armstrong."

"You were always extremely confident," Cedric interjected, walking to a armchair and sitting down, "What are you two doing up so early? Don't tell me you were snogging."

Rachel went slightly pink as she shook her head, "Only talking, Ced. I have too much to worry about to be snogging Edward here."

"Ah, I see, well I suppose we'll be leaving in a couple hours, might want to go get ready. Taking a bath before everyone else gets there is an ideal for a Hogmeade Saturday."

Edward nodded, standing up. "Good idea. I'll see you both later."

Rachel twisted her lips, standing up as well. "I think I'll go get ready as well, see you later Ced." She waved lightly before dancing to the bathrooms.

A couple hours had passed and the group was now standing out in the blistering cold, waiting for their chaperones to appear. Rachel had made it a point not to look for George and Jenna, it would just make this day more miserable than it already was.

Michael sighed, looking down at the already fidgety Rachel, He placed his hands on her shoulders, pulling her into a hug. "Don't worry, it'll be alright. You just have to smile a lot and keep giggling. Wait- Don't do that, 'cause he'll get the wrong idea." He laughed lightly, looking down at her. "You'll be alright, if you have an awful time, Ced and me will come rescue you, right Cedric?" He nudged the brunette to his side that was happily staring off into space.

"Oh right, yeah, don't worry, Rachel. We'll save you from the mean old Gryffindors if things get bad." He gave her a reassuring smile before they 3 were interrupted by a firm hand placed on Rachel's waist, causing her to jump.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." The scot apologized, giving her a smile that would make any female melt. Instead of melting, she merely smiled, waved goodbye to her friends and followed Oliver to his group of friends…which consisted of most of the Gryffindor quid ditch team. Then her eyes set on him, causing her heart to jump and her hands to become shaky. No, he couldn't be in the group…it was impossible. But sure enough, he was, along with the lovely Jenna at his side, carefully teasing his hair.

George didn't seem to notice the jester of affection for his eyes were locked on the approaching couple. So it was true, she was going to spend the day with Wood. He tried not to get jealous, but it seemed almost inevitable. Watching him hold her hand like that, to see how he smiles when he looks at her. She clearly wasn't happy, he could see it in her eyes, so why would she go through with the date? George sighed, taking a step away from Jenna as the groups of students began to move towards the small village.

A couple of miles of walking later, and the students had reached their destination. The third years began to stare at awe at the shops and different things that were sold. Clearly it was their first time. Oliver had led the group into The Three Broomsticks, where in a gentleman manner he had taken Rachel's coat and hung it up for her.

Katie Bell and Alicia Spinnet had led the group to a large table big enough to fit them. As Fred had gone to order the butterbeers, the rest of the group had sat down and were now discussing the new tactics for the upcoming games. Rachel couldn't help but space out, she liked quidditch, but talking about it constantly was definitely not something she liked to do. She plopped her elbows on the table, staring down at the drink Fred had placed in front of her.

George couldn't take his eyes off her, she seemed so unhappy. She should be sitting next to him, joking and laughing. But instead she was sitting next to Oliver, having to hear him go on and on about what the chasers should do in order to win our first game. It's a date, not a quidditch practice. He felt a hand lay on his leg as he continued to glared sensibly at Oliver. Soon enough, Jenna was playing with his hair. He snapped out of his haze of jealousy to stare at her before pulling away slightly.

Rachel had been staring at her drink long enough to not hear a thing Oliver had said. When did this boy talk about anything else? Her eyes turned to the fidgeting George and Jenna, seeing her trying to make a move on him. Her lips pressed together, jealousy filling her body. She turned to Oliver, placing a hand on his forearm lightly. "Can we got out of here?" She muttered quietly. He simply nodded, giving stern looks at his teammates before standing up and holding out his hand for Rachel. She gladly accepted it, giving George one last look before following Oliver out of the pub.

George let loose a heavy sigh, watching them leave. He decided it was time for the two of them to leave as well, He motioned for Jenna to follow as he waved goodbye to his brother and friends.

"We still need to go into Dervish and Banges," Oliver stated, leading her into the tiny shop.

Rachel twisted her lips, watching Oliver pace around the repair shop before finally going to the counter and handing the owner his personal snitch to be repaired. She turned her attention to the shop before giving a small glance outside of the window. Her heart literally stopped at the sight that laid before her. George, and Jenna, kissing in the middle of the road. She felt the tears rising as her face began to flush, she needed to get out of here. Not even saying goodbye to Oliver she dashed out onto the street, darting past the two kissing. She had to find Michael, he was the only one that could be there for her. To understand what had just happened. He was her best friend after all.

George was literally stunned, he had never planned on kissing Jenna. Well, truth be told, it was sort of the other way around. The kiss was nothing special, reminded him of the ones he use to give his mum when he was little. He pulled away, shaking his head, that's when he noticed Rachel move quickly past them. So his plan had worked, she was jealous. He couldn't help but feel the sudden urge to run after her, but why would he, she was the one that started this fight, he was just winning.

Ending her tantrum, she looked up at the road to the shrieking shack, clearly emotionally unstable. She began to sob uncontrollably. If jealousy was what he was going for, then he had pushed it too far. She was hurt, when she shouldn't have been. Why exactly was she making this such a big deal. Maybe she did care for the stupid prankster.

Michael had heard crying, he knew it was hers, it had to be. She might not cry that often, but she was a female and it did happen. He rushed out of the woods , and saw her, torn to pieces, sitting on the rock, staring out at the shrieking shack. "Rachel…"

"He kissed her, Mikey….George kissed Jenna. Right in front of me. I saw it, it was right there," She sniffed, wiping the tears from her eyes with her sleeves, "He did it on purpose."

Michael had taken this as a sign to pull her into a much needed hug, placing a small kiss on her head. "It'll be alright, Love. I promise, you'll see."

She nodded, pulling away, "You know, he's not worth it. I'm just going to focus on my studies and getting through this year."

"That's my Rachel. Now come on, lets go get something to eat."

"Wait, what were you doing in the bushes?" She asked, a quizzical look on her face. Cedric had taken this moment to come out of the bushes and blushed madly.

Michael rubbed the back of his head, not really knowing what to say. "Uh, we were talking…"

Rachel blinked, her eyes widening, "Cedric! I didn't know! Don't worry your secret is safe with me."

Cedric gave a small smile in thanks, turning to look back at the village. "Shall we go back to the school, then?"

The two nodded, quickly rushing back to the castle for some much needed food and ranting time.


	5. Chapter 5: Christmas Special!

_Chapter 5:_

As the weather changed, and the leaves began to fall, the students began to become excited about the up and coming Winter break.

"Now Rachel, just because I'm not going to be staying this time, doesn't mean I'm not going to be getting you a gift." Michael smiled his infamous smile, giving his best friend a hug. "Be expecting a gift underneath the tree."

Rachel pulled away, pulling out a present from her pocket. "Well then, here's yours, my dear." She quickly handed him the neatly wrapped gift and watching his eyes gleam.

His smile grew even more as his fingers began to rip at the paper that covered it. "What…" He muttered, revealing a box with two bracelets latched together. He giggled slightly, picking one up and looking at it in detail. " 'To the one person I never keep secrets from; My best friend.' Aw, Rachel…" He has pulled the silver onto his wrist and pulled her into another hug.

"Michael! Michael I've got to breath!" She laughed, as he set her down and pulled the other bracelet out and slipped it onto her wrist.

"You're the best friend I could ever wish for." He beamed with happiness, picking up his bags. "You be good…Don't go running off and snogging random boys while I'm gone."

Rachel scoffed, placing her hands on her hips, "Now why would I do that? I'll see you in a couple weeks," She waved as he began to walk away and towards the blustering crowd of students.

As she passed a couple of giddy first years, her slim hands burrowed into her pockets, feeding for warmth. "Alone this year, Ms. Perlett?" The portrait asked as she approached it quietly.

"Afraid so. Michael went to stay with his cousin in Estonia. Something about a wedding." She laughed, "Crosshatched, if you please." She spoke the password softly, as the portrait swung open only to reveal the few Hufflepuffs that had stayed. Rachel rubbed her arms as she trotted up to the dormitories.

The air chilled her as she flopped down onto her bed and stared at the ceiling. She bit the bottom of her lip, closing her eyes, her mind drifting off into a slumber.

"_Liberdania! Get out of here! I'll hold him off." A woman shouted as a small cottage enveloped into flames. _

"_Mommy!" A frantic maroon headed girl managed to yell back as a woman scooped her up into her arms and started to run away_. _The young boy that stood shocked was soon being pulled away as well._

"_What's going to happen, Auntie?" He asked, tears now streaming down his cheeks._

_The woman gave him a small smile, taking out her wand and kept running._

"_Esperanza! You can't hold him off, he's too strong!" a broad man shouted from her side, looking at the flaming cottage. "He'll kill y-"_

"_I know, Walter…I know, take care of Rachel and Will. Don't let the-"_

"_Avada Kedavra!" There was a green light and then nothing._

Rachel suddenly stirred, her heart beating uncontrollably. Her torso shot up as her breathing began to steady. The dream seemed so real, she was soon to think it was a memory. But it couldn't have been, none of the people seemed familiar. She looked around the room, hearing nothing but eerie silence of Christmas break.

Her head lightly shook as her eyes traced the outline of the door in the darkened room. It seemed it was cracked slightly. Feeling the tension in the room she laid back down, pulled the amber covers over her head and attempted to fall back to sleep.

The dream hadn't come back, and much to Rachel's liking she slept rather peacefully. She woke to the smell of Christmas and the soft bustle of the rest of the students. Stepping out of bed, she pulled her robe tightly to her body, quickly tying it.

"Look what my Mum gave me!" She could hear the excitement in their voices as she paced down the steps and to the common room. It belonged to non other than third year Hannah Abbot.

"That's fantastic, Hannah." A boy stated, turning to the new body in the corner of his eye. "Rachel! Look! It seems like you got some great presents!"

Rachel smiled lightly, walking over to the large tree and picking up the two packages. Her fingers traced the outline of the paper before ripping it open to reveal a very large book. Her breath was literally taken out of her as she stared at the stunning photo album. On the front it state 'Michael and Rachel, never forgotten'. As she flipped through the montage of pictures she noticed one of the two of them, standing in front of her house, Michael giving her bunny ears. She could feel the tears coming as the heat began to rise.

"Are you alright, Rachel?" Hannah had asked, seeing the emotion girl. After unwrapping the sweater from her mother, a new wand sheath from her father, and a Doctor Who t-shirt from her brother, she simply nodded, tucked the book underneath the her arm and began to walk to the great hall.

"There's another one for you." Hannah had caught her attention, her hand holding out a small box. Rachel's eyes narrowed, taking it from her and sticking it into her pocket.

"I'll open it while I eat. I'll see you two later." She walked out of the common room and made her way to the Great Hall, her hand firmly grasping the present. Her slim fingers pulled it from her pocket, examining it. There was no note as to who it was from, it was nicely wrapped, in a purple paper with a silky green ribbon. Her favorite colors. As she reached the Hufflepuff table she made a point to carefully pull the ribbon.

Little did she know, she was being watched. George had planned on sneaking it underneath the tree, of course, but for her to sit at the Great Hall and open it in front of him, was something he didn't. He watched her carefully, biting his lip nervously as she opened the box to reveal the necklace he had picked out. The same one he had seen last year and thought was perfect for her. He could make it out from the Gryffindor table, silver with a tiny sapphire held within a curvy socket. It was gorgeous, to say the least, and perfect for her.

Rachel's mouth had dropped as she examined the necklace. Her fingers lined the holder, one of her hands came picked up the note that had been attached in the box.

"What's it say?" A female voice came from her left. In a daze, Rachel turned to look at Laura, a 7th year Ravenclaw sitting next to her.

"It's uh…a necklace." She gave the note to her, turning back to the jewelry.

" 'To the one whose eyes match this stone, in beauty and color.' That's rather sweet." Her eyes scanned the paper, "No name though…Seems you've got a secret admire, Rachel."

Rachel grinned lightly, slipping the necklace neatly onto her neck and turning to Laura, "Would seem so. How has your Christmas morning been so far?"

Laura's face lit, as she pulled out a ring, "Oliver asked me to be his girlfriend. We'd been talking for about a month now. My year has been made."

"That's fantastic, Laura! I'm so happy for you. He's a gentlemen, and exactly what you deserve."

"Thanks, Rachel. Look, we're actually having a small party in the Gryffindor common room tonight, you should come. I know Michael went home, it'd be fun!"

Rachel's heart jumped, gave her friend a small nod before standing up, "Sure, I'll meet you here tonight. I should go get ready, haven't even opened the present Ced got me." She gave her a small smile, walking out.

A couple hours of preparation and anxiety and Rachel stood, in her new sweater and jeans(thanks to Suzie and Christina), at the entrance of the Great Hall. She began to rock back and forth on her heels, flipping the loose hairs on her neck.

"Rachel? Are you ready?" Laura called, the long blonde hair on her head moving as she tilted her head. Rachel turned around, startled once more.

"Uh, yeah. Right." She muttered as Laura began to lead the way. Rachel gulped, complicating whether to talk or not. "Laura…do you know if George is going to be there tonight."

Laura turned to look at her, giving her a small smile. "No, but Fred will. Why?"

"It's nothing."

"Doubt that, is it because of all the drama you two have been through?"

Rachel scoffed, sticking her hands into her pockets. "So you've heard."

"Who hasn't?" She giggled, placing a hand on Rachel's shoulder, "Don't worry, it'll turn out alright. Trust me."

The girl nodded as they came upon the Gryffindor common room onto to see Alyssa, a 4th year standing in front of the Fat Lady. "Hedgewindist." She stated, tapping her foot. "Hedgewindist!" She repeated, an annoyed look on her face. As if not noticing the other two come up, she began to mutter something incoherent to herself.

"Having trouble?" Laura asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Laura! 'Bout time you two showed up, and yes, it seems she doesn't want to open-"

"It's not that I don't want to open, you're just not saying the right password." The Fat Lady budded in, placing her hands on her hips.

"I'm saying the same one I used this morning!" Alyssa shouted, twisting her face as the portrait swung open to reveal the Weasley twins. "Thank you!"

Rachel could feel her heart begin to race faster and faster as the two passed her without a word(at least from George for Fred had made it a habit to make a funny face whenever they saw each other). She pressed her lips together, turning to Laura.

"Fred, you're coming tonight, aren't you?" Laura had asked them, turning her body. He gave a simple nod, a funny face to Rachel, and turned back to his twin, who was pulling on his sweater.

Alyssa blinked a couple times before shrugging and entering the common room. Scarlet red and gold lined the many sofas and living chairs as the three paced over towards the fireplace and the rest of the party. Sitting down, there were a total of four people there; Angelina Johnson, Oliver Wood, Katie Bell, and Alexander Padelia.

Oliver's face lit as Laura's body fell to the seat next to him. Wrapping his arm around her

shoulders he gave her a small peck before turning to the group. "So I thought, we'd play

a lil' game." He started, raising an eyebrow. "But we'll have to wait for Fred to get

back."

"Where'd he go anyways?" Katie asked, running a hand through her hair.

"Him and George went go get a bottle." Oliver answered, causing the whole group to look at his quizzically.

"What on earth would we need a bottle for?" Angelina had spoken, crossing her arms.

Rachel bit her lip, already coming to the conclusion; a muggle game named spin the bottle.

"It's a muggle game I learned from my cousin last year. It's bottle spin or something like that?"

"Spin the bottle." Rachel corrected him, sitting back in the velvet arm chair.

"Ah! That's the name of it. You spin the bottle and whoever it lands on you have to, er, kiss, unless it's someone of the other gender, or something. But you all get the basics." Oliver nodded just as the portrait hole swung open to reveal the twins carrying about a dozen bottles. Oliver's eyes widened, "We only need one."

"We'll we didn't know exactly which one you would prefer." One started.

"So we just got as many as the elves would let us take." The other finished, flashing his eyes over the group. He leaned over to whisper something to his brother, only to get a roll of the eyes.

"Alright then, if you all will excuse me, I must get some sleep. Long day and all." George stated, leaving with a smirk on his face. Rachel turned to watch him leave, only to be confused by his expression. Fred took a seat next to her, giving her a small smile and clasping his hands together.

"So George is still not talking to me, eh?" She started as Oliver droned on about the rules of the game. He paused a moment, took a large breath, and then continued.

"It's not so much as he's mad at you." Fred started, his breathing becoming uneasy. "He thinks you're mad at him and doesn't want to push it." He began to wring his hands together nervously.

Rachel pressed her lips together, watching as Oliver spun the bottle and it landed on Laura. "Well what he did was a bit foul. I mean…I shouldn't care, but I do."

"He didn't want to kiss her," He stated as Oliver pointed to him, "My turn then?" He gave the bottle a quick spin, his eyes watching it intently. It began to slow down and landed to his right, on Rachel. His eyes widening, he felt his heart began to pound. It was true, they had planned on making the switch earlier("One of the perks of having a twin!" Fred had stated), so that George could set Rachel straight, but never had he planned on having to kiss her. Feeling the heat rise to his face he turned to Rachel who looked as pale as a ghost. He pressed his lips together, bucked up and leaned towards her, placing a small kiss on the stunned girl's lips.

All she could do was sit there, here she was kissing Fred Weasley, when all she could do was think of George. How he smelled, the way he smiled, the way he use to pick on her in the hallways. Her body found the courage to pull away as she stood up, gave a small wave and exited the common room.

George blinked as she dashed off, turning to the rest of the group that looked just as stunned as him. Laura was the first to notice something different about him.

"You're not Fred." She stated, crossing her arms. Damn those Ravenclaws. The rest of the group looked from her to George only to agree.

"You really shouldn't play with her emotions like that." Alex sighed, running his hand through his thick curly hair. "She's probably all jumbled up now. Poor girl."

"I only wanted to set things right between us." George rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, now you're gone and messed things up even more. Now she thinks she just kissed your brother." Alyssa snapped, standing up, "You're just toying with her, and I don't like to see my friends toyed with, George Weasley." As she finished, she made a point to step on his foot and walk to the girl's dormitory.

George blinked a couple times, letting lose a heavy sigh before following suit.

Rachel had managed to make it to the girl's dormitory, thankful that it was the holiday break and she was the only one there. Laying on her bed she grabbed the stuffed dragon Will had gotten her when she was eleven and hugged it to her breasts. She closed her eyes, trying to forget the events of tonight. Soon enough, she fell into a dreamy slumber, enthused by her thoughts.

"_Mum! Look!" A little boy had called from the porch of a white cottage. An older maroon headed woman stood from the doorway, smiling at her son._

"_That's wonderful, William. Seems like you'll be heading to Hogwarts next year." She replied, the thin lines of wrinkles forming on her face as she grinned._

_The little boy beamed, looking down at his 6 year old sister. "Look, Rach, I'm a wizard! I'm sure you'll be one too!" This caused the girl to clap excitedly, as her mother picked her up and gave her a hug._

_The smell of smoke made it's way to the three's noses as the woman put Rachel down and scurried them inside. Not long before she had shut the door had a dark figure apperated in front of her._

"_Espie. My dear, sweet, Espie. You've been keeping secrets." _

Startled from her sleep once more, Rachel sat up, tears steadily falling from her cheeks.

She placed her shaking hands on her face, feeling the wet liquid. "What's happening to me?" She asked herself, hugging her knees.

The rest of the holiday had gone rather smoothly, the dreams had stopped, and everything seemed to be returning back to normal. Rachel had tried to avoid both Fred and George. That was until the morning before the end of Christmas break. She had made a point to find Fred after breakfast and wanted to make sure he knew how she felt. Seeing the pair exit, she heaved a sigh and caught the twin(she knew it was him for they we're wearing sweaters with an 'F' and 'G' engraved in them.) by the wrist, pulling him off to the side.

"Look, Fred, I know we kissed and all but I just wanted to let you know, I don't think of you that way." She rushed her words, heaving a heavy sigh when done.

"What on earth are you talking about? We never kissed." Was all he could reply with, a confused look on his face.

"Yeah we did, Christmas night."

"Oh…Um, Rachel, don't be upset or anything, but that wasn't me you kissed." Fred laughed lightly, rubbing the back of his head. Rachel's face dropped, feeling confusion overwhelm her.

"So, what you're saying…"

"Is that you kissed my brother that night."

Rachel's heart skipped a beat as her breath began to quicken. "Why would he do that?"

Fred rubbed his chin, "I don't know, why don't you ask him." He smirked, pointing to the approaching twin. Freezing, she turned her eyes to meet a pair of brown ones. Shaking her head, she began to run away, but was caught by Fred's hand on her forearm.

"Hey…" Was all that he muttered. Better not to push it, but then again, that line was already crossed. Rachel's hands wringed Fred's grip from her forearm and stomped away, not saying a word.

"Oh, that didn't go as planned." Fred twisted his face, turning to his brother whose eyes were dead set on Rachel.

"Not at all."


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter 6:_

Months had gone by, the holidays had passed, and not once had Rachel talked to George Weasley again. Sure, he still sat behind her in charms, staring at the back of her head, but never once had she said hello. Michael had found out the Alia was his sister, now the two were nearly inseperatable, leaving Rachel plenty of time to focus on her studying.

She couldn't help thinking of him every now and then, and was even determined to apologize once, but then thought better of it. No, it was better this way, not having to worry about boys, and able to focus on doing the best she could on her O.W.L.S.

Two weeks before the tests were scheduled was the first time they had spoke. Rachel was sitting underneath the large oak tree that over looked the black lake. She was reviewing how to break the silent curse, when a lanky ginger had made a point to sit next to her. Like most the times, she hadn't noticed, being too caught up in her work.

"Rachel…" was all he simply stated, a mere whisper. She jumped at the sound of her name, turning to look at him.

'Bloody hell, Weasley don't scare me like that." She replied, turning back to her studies.

He frowned at the informality, "We need to talk," His usual playful voice now sounded serious as he turned to stare off at the lake.

"About what, exactly?"

George, in a move to find the words, rubbed the back of his head, "Uh, well, I wanted to say I'm sorry for one, and that I would still like to be your friend…that is if you want to be."

Rachel scoffed, closing her book and standing up. "I don't exactly think that's a good idea.." And at that she had started to walk away, but was caught by George's light grip on her wrist.

"Why is that not a good idea? We were practically inseperatable the week we were friends."

"George, come on…"

"No, I want to know why we can't be friends!"

"Because I'll end up doing something I'll regret!" She shouted, letting go of his grasp and dashing back to the castle. Leaving a stunned George to stand there with a quizzical look on his face.

The exams had passed, and the stress of the O.W.L.S was over. Gryffindor had won the Quidditch Cup(much to Oliver's liking), Professor Lupin had turned out to be a werewolf, and Sirius Black still hadn't been caught.

All in all, it was a good year for the Hufflepuffs. Rachel had managed to snag 8 O.W.L.S on her exams, and was accepted into advance Transfigurations along with Michael.

"Promise me you'll write this summer, last year I barely got anything from you!" Suzie shouted, giving a hug to the two best friends.

"Me too! We might live together, but I do enjoy getting letters with my name on it." Christina smiled, also joining the hug.

"Don't worry you two, I'll tell you all about the hot Australian men while I'm in Sydney." Michael winked, as the two twins, satisfied, scurried off to find their parents. He turned to Rachel who intently started at a large group of red heads. "If you want to say goodbye to him, then just go."

She shook her head, plastering a fake smile onto her face, "He wouldn't want to talk to me anyways. I'll see you in a couple months then, for the World Cup? Will's going to take me and you have to come."

"Of course I'll go with you and that dreamy brother of yours." He smiled, pulling her into a hug. "Try not to get too upset while I'm gone." And then he was gone off with his sister.

Rachel sighed, rubbing the back of her head. This is how it usually was, her friends all gone, and here she was, left to find her own way home. Suddenly, she spotting a tall, maroon haired man in a dragon skin suit waving at her. She grinned widely, happiness filling her eyes.

"Will!" She shouted, running to him and pulling him into a large hug.

" 'Elli, dearest sister, how was your year?" He grinned, causing the curly maroon hair to stand out against the bright teeth he bared.

"It was alright, bet next year will be better, though."

"That's good. Now let's get home, Mum and Dad are waiting for us." And at that the two had left platform 93/4 in excitement for the summer to come.


End file.
